1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heat exchangers, and particularly to a Rankine engine with an efficient heat exchange system that may be used, for example, to power a vehicle without expending non-renewable fuel (i.e., traditional fossil, alcohol, hydrogen, soy or agriculturally based fuels, for example), to power the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chemical energy in the form of batteries has been used since the dawn of automotive history for storage of electrical energy required to operate the automobile. Modern hybrid automobiles use the rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) with a small diesel or gas engine to turn electrical generating equipment and battery banks. However, batteries are not an optimal energy storage solution due to their poor charge time-to-discharge ratios and their toxicity upon disposal.
Microwave radiation has proven to be efficient at heating powdered metals in the sintering process, since powdered metal offers minimum reflectivity. Certain stainless steel alloys exhibit tremendous heat capacity, nearly that of water. Powdered metal in an oil, a semi-viscous media, to produce a slurry may provide a substantial improvement over current thermal energy storage technology. Permeable powdered metal in a silicone oil, for example, may be heated by microwave energy in minutes, rather than the comparative hours (and significant expense) of battery recharging.
The ability to charge the working fluid of a heat exchanger in minutes instead of hours, along with the removal of the expense of maintaining, exchanging and replacing batteries, may be highly appreciated as current technology hybrid vehicle accrue mileage and extend their usage the present environment.
Thus, an efficient heat exchange system for storing energy to be used solving the aforementioned problems is desired.